In today's power window switch arrangements designers are striving to take into account the problem of providing power window switches, in particular power window switches for motor vehicles, where the switches are configured such that inadvertent closing of associated windows are prevented, this as inadvertent closing may cause accidents involving children.
Some previous attempts to provide such arrangements have been based on the utilization of an actuation element which is associated in a pushing direction for the downward motion of the window and in a pulling direction for the upward motion of the window, respectively, using a pivoting motion for the actuation element.
One such previous attempt is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 6,054,655, which describes a motor vehicle power window switch of the type in a housing and having a pivotally supported actuation element, which actuates switch contacts by means of a corresponding sliding contact element associated with connector contacts. The actuation element is associated in a pushing direction for the downward motion of the window and in a pulling direction for the upward motion of the window, respectively, with a two-stage pivoting motion. The actuation element acts on deflecting means to effect a linear back-and-forth motion of the sliding contact element, which successively actuates two switch contacts of a switch matrix in each direction.
However, as U.S. Pat. No. 6,054,655 relies on pivoting motion of the actuation element there remains the possibility of inadvertently tripping the actuation element such that upward motion of the window is triggered. Thus, although striving at increased safety, it relies on use of the unsafe pivoted toggle or rocker type switches that can be tripped by an occupant of the vehicle, with the potential for a moving window or panel to entrap an occupant as the result.